January 3 – 19, 2012, could be epic for Kentucky Wesleyan College students.

For three short weeks, you get to take the college classes you’ll remember for a lifetime, the classes that aren’t requirements for your major, the classes that you’ll write home about (literally), the classes that are the reason you came to college. And you get to do it all at half the normal tuition rate.

We created Winter Term to let professors and students get out of their traditional class routines and have an adventure or two. Classes change every year — in 2012, try Leadership Through Sailing (in the Virgin Islands, on a working sailboat) or The Tudors (including 10 days of touring in England) or jump into another culture with a international studies trip to Costa Rica.

If international travel isn’t your thing, we’ve got other options right here in Owensboro. Physics and the Arts (the math is easy), Ye Gods and Goddesss (classical mythology) or Musical Theatre (if you’ve always wanted to sing and dance) all promise to be great.

The point? You can have fun and earn credit all at the same time with a winter term class at KWC. Plus, the price is half off. Seriously.

So if you need an extra class to graduate on time or if you want credits at a reduced rate or if you just want to broaden your horizons and have some fun, check out KWC Winter Term 2012 for a world of possibilities.

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Travel classes:

The Tudors (England)
Leadership Through Sailing (Virgin Islands)
Costa Rica

For a full list of other classes available, visit www.kwc.edu/winterterm.

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Details: 

For more info about how to register, when classes meet, tuition costs, etc., visit www.kwc.edu/winterterm. Registration for new students opens November 7 — sign up today!

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Zev Buffman is a legendary Broadway producer who has produced more than 40 shows and 100 national tours. He brought Elizabeth Taylor and Dustin Hoffman to Broadway and was a founding member of the NBA’s Miami Heat. He has spent the last eight years as the director of Owensboro’s RiverPark Center.

Laura Early, assistant professor of theatre arts at KWC, arranged for Buffman to spend last evening at KWC reminiscing about his life and career. The story that follows was in the Messenger-Inquirer today.

Buffman shares tales of his past and announces his departure at KWC
By Dariush Shafa, Messenger-Inquirer
Published: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Nearly every seat was taken in Roger’s Hall at Kentucky Wesleyan College on Tuesday night as students, faculty and residents turned out to hear Zev Buffman talk about his experiences in show business. The crowd got an extra treat as Buffman also shared his favorite stories and some of the lessons he learned along the way.

Buffman’s stories ranged from his first big break as a director and producer to working with celebrities such as Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Taylor and Muhammad Ali.

Laughter and applause turned to disappointment though, as the president and CEO of the RiverPark Center also shared the news of his pending departure. Buffman’s eight-year contract at the RiverPark Center was not renewed in a Tuesday meeting of the RiverPark Center’s board, and Buffman announced he has accepted a job in Clearwater, Fla.

Still, Buffman said Tuesday’s event at KWC was something that he was glad to do, even with the day’s events weighing on his heart.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for the two or three months it’s been in the works. I’m only sorry we didn’t do it more often,” Buffman said.

Those in attendance said they not only enjoyed Buffman’s stories and advice, but are sad that his time in Owensboro is drawing to a close.

“I am a Broadway child. My mother was a Broadway dancer, and I’m from New York City,” said Ginny Weant, a vocal performance sophomore at KWC. “Every story (he told) was meaningful and can be applied not only to theater but to life in general.

“I’m very heartbroken I don’t get to spend more time with him, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity (tonight),” Weant said.

Buffman’s departure will be difficult to overcome, said Matt Ruark, Assistant Director for Development at KWC, who came to see Buffman’s event.

“He’s done a lot for Owensboro, and I just wanted to hear about it straight from his mouth,” Ruark said. “That’s a great loss for Owensboro. I don’t think we’ll be able to replace him.”

Laura Early, assistant professor of theater arts at KWC, said she’s glad Buffman was able to come for the event.

“It’s huge. How many times do you have the opportunity to have someone who’s produced 40 Broadway shows speak to students?” Early said. “You can tell the students love it. They’re just ecstatic to meet him.”

Phoenix Jenkins, a senior studying sociology at KWC, also said she was happy to be there and talk to Buffman.

“I felt honored,” Jenkins said. “He’s humble and he shows you that you can be all you can be.”

Buffman said he is especially enthusiastic about the future show business and educational possibilities that exist in Owensboro thanks to the partnership between the RiverPark Center and local educational institutions.

“The marriage between the performing arts center and theater students is not always possible,” Buffman said. “You don’t get that in Miami or New York because you can’t get them (students) across the line because there are strict (labor and union) rules.

“This is not only going to be a more important college town when the new downtown arrives, but also a major destination for theater students,” Buffman said.”There is a great future for this town just around the corner.”

During the event, Buffman said that the opportunity to talk to and share experiences with students is a joy because it’s a chance to pass on the little things that helped make him successful.

“You should never stop dreaming just because you wake up in the morning,” Buffman said, noting how that is one of his favorite sayings.

Buffman later said he felt Tuesday night’s event helped take away some of the sorrow from the end of his time in Owensboro.

“On a day like today, which was a day of departure and moving on, this to me was a phenomenal catharsis of just feeling free and happy about my eight years here and knowing I can still make contact with young people,” Buffman said.

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Another successful commencement has now come and gone — 164 students graduated from KWC last Saturday, and while we had to move the ceremony inside because of the rain, it was still a great day.

CNN’s Ali Velshi delivered the commencement address and did a wonderful job. His executive producer is Kelly Frank, a 1996 graduate of KWC. She briefly addressed the graduates at their Senior Farewell/Honor Breakfast Saturday morning.

We have photos and a couple videos from the weekend now posted online. You can see links to the various Flickr photo sets from the Photos page in the Commencement section of our website.

 Sets posted on Flickr include:
- Graduation
- Senior Breakfast
- Senior Dinner
- Miscellaneous (rehearsal, class photo, etc.)
- Class of 1961 50-Year Reunion

We’ve also got some new videos on YouTube, including:

- Highlights from Ali Velshi’s Commencement Address
- A clip of the Faculty/Staff Chorale’s enthusiastic rendition of “Wesleyan” (complete with instruments)
- A clip of remarks from Kelly Frank ‘96 at Senior Breakfast

We should have more graduation photos soon, as well as the complete text of Ali Velshi’s speech and a video of the entire ceremony. Until then, enjoy – if you see a photo you’d like a copy of, just send an email to bhoak[AT]kwc[DOT]edu.

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The Kentucky Wesleyan College History Department will host a Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua about U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan on Monday, November 29, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. in Hager Hall at the Ralph Center. Edward B. Smith of Cynthiana, Ky., will portray Harlan (1833-1911), a Kentucky lawyer and politician. The public is invited.

During Harlan’s 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court, he dissented in some of the court’s most important civil rights cases, earning him the title, “The Great Dissenter.” In one of the most famous dissents in U.S. Supreme Court history, Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the constitutionality of segregation, Harlan wrote, “Our constitution is color-blind, and neither knows or tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.”

His words were an inspiration to Thurgood Marshall during the Civil Rights Movement. Marshall was the NAACP chief counsel who would later be appointed to the Supreme Court. He cited Harlan’s dissent as he argued to end segregation in the 1954 case, Brown v. Board of Education.

Kentucky Chautauqua brings fascinating characters from Kentucky’s past to life. The Kentucky Humanities Council tells Kentucky’s story and celebrates the contributions of Kentuckians to the quality of life in the Commonwealth.

For more, visit the website for the Kentucky Humanities Council. Here’s a video describing the Kentucky Chautauqua series:

* You know you were wondering — from merriam-webster.com: Chautauqua — any of various traveling shows and local assemblies that flourished in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays, and that were modeled after activities at the Chautauqua Institution of western New York.

Complete a class in three weeks — KWC Winter Term 2011!

January 3 – 22, 2011 could be epic for Kentucky Wesleyan College students.

For three short weeks, you get to take the college classes you’ll remember for a lifetime, the classes that aren’t requirements for your major, the classes that you’ll write home about (literally), the classes that are the reason you came to college. And you get to do it all at half the normal tuition rate.

We created Winter Term to let professors and students get out of their traditional class routines and have an adventure or two. Classes change every year — in 2011, try Leadership Through Sailing (in the Virgin Islands! On a real sailboat!) or The Tudors (including 10 days of touring in England) or jump into another culture with a international studies trip to Calnali, Mexico.

If international travel isn’t your thing, we’ve got other options right here in Owensboro. Physics and the Arts (the math is easy), the Bible and Literature or Film History (hey, we all like to watch movies) all promise to be great.

The point? You can have fun and earn credit all at the same time with a winter term class at KWC. Plus, the price is half off. Seriously.

So if you need an extra class to graduate on time or if you want credits at a reduced rate or if you just want to broaden your horizons or have some fun, check out KWC Winter Term 2011 for a world of possibilities.

Class List (click links for more details)

Travel Classes
- BIO 2307 – Tropical Marine Biology (Class in January, travel to Belize on Spring Break)
- ENGL 3342 – Tour of England: The Tudors
- INS 2309 – International Studies: Trip to Calnali, Mexico
- LS 3390 – Leadership Through Sailing (Virgin Islands)

On-Campus Classes
- ACCT 4318 – Principles of Auditing – Senior Project
- BA 3353 – Operations Management
- BA 4355 – Organizational Leadership
- CART 1341 – Basic Public Speaking
- CART 4310 – Topics: Film History
- ED 2302 – Educational Technology
- ED 3202 – Teaching Reading in the Content Area
- ENGL 2330 – World Lit: Classical Mythology
- ENGL 3377 (or REL 3377) – The Bible and Literature
- HIST 3336 – History of Europe 1815-1914
- HIST 3390 – Korea and Vietnam
- MATH 1301 – Verticality of the Math Pre K-12 Curriculum
- MUS 3300 – Rock and Roll: Its Influence on Society
- MUS 3350 – Topics: History of Musical Theatre
- PHIL 3300 – The Ethics of War
- PEH 3311 – Physical Activity for Special Populations
- PHYS 1302 – Physics and the Arts
- PHYS 4303 – Topics: Analog and Digital Electronics Through Hands-On Interaction
- SOC 3330 – Practicum

WINTER TERM DESCRIPTION
Winter term courses at KWC meet five days a week during the month of January. Students may enroll in one course for a total of three or four credit hours per term. Tuition is $260/hour — half the normal rate. Travel classes have additional costs.

WINTER TERM SCHEDULE
- Residence halls open for residential students participating in WT Jan. 2
- Instruction begins 8:00 a.m. Jan. 3
- Drop/Add begins 8:00 a.m. Jan. 3
- Final date to drop without course appearing on transcript Jan. 4
- Final date to drop with “W” Jan 14
- MLK Day (no classes) Jan. 17
- Last day of class Jan. 20
- Examination or project due date Jan. 22

REGISTRATION
Registration for Winter Term 2011 classes begins November 8, according to the following schedule:

- Seniors (90+ hours): Nov. 8-9
- Juniors (60-89 hours): Nov. 11-12
- Sophomores (30-59 hours): Nov. 15-16
- Freshmen (0-29 hours): Nov. 18-19

Status is based on hours earned and does not include hours still in progress. First-semester freshmen must register through their academic advisor. Everyone else may register through PantherNet. You may register after your registration dates, but not before.

If you’re not a student at KWC and want to take a Winter Term class, contact our Admissions office at 270-852-3120 or admitme@kwc.edu. If you have questions about the classes, check with the Academic Dean’s office (peggiegr@kwc.edu or 270-852-3117).

Don’t wait to register — some class sizes are limited or must meet a quota to be held. Register today and in a few weeks, you’ll be having the time of your life.